Call for witness protection scheme

The Association of Chief Police Officers said the scheme, which could be brought in under the new National Crime Agency, would offer a more consistent approach under the lead of a senior chief constable outside of local forces.

The recommendation follows calls for police to be given better training to protect vulnerable witnesses after the gangland killings of a middle-aged couple, John and Joan Stirland, who were shot dead at their home in the Lincolnshire village of Trusthorpe in 2004.

Andy Cooke, the assistant chief constable of Lancashire Police, told a national newspaper: “Britain is the only country in Western Europe without a national witness protection scheme and you need a system that people have faith in. We had a patchwork response across the country where levels of protection differed. Witness protection is under-used and if there was a national service people would be encouraged to use it.”

The scheme would also increase transparency to make it easier for people in witness protection to make complaints and bring in an independent oversight and review process.